Sitemap - 2023 - Neil’s Substack
What I Learned From Sports in 2023
Can Jordan Poole Get Back On The Right Track?
The State of the NBA as We Approach Christmas Day 🏀🎄
Caitlin Clark Found a Way to Get Even Better
Is It Too Late for Ja Morant to Save the Grizzlies?
Craig Berube and the St. Louis Blues Fell Victim to a Provable Point: Winning Again Is Even Harder
The Warriors Are Struggling — But Don’t Blame Chris Paul
The Dodgers Paid Double Market Value for Shohei Ohtani’s Future WAR — And They Were Happy to Do It
The Indiana Pacers Are (Literally) Built Different
What To Give the Boston Bruins, L.A. Kings and 5 More Stanley Cup Contenders This Holiday Season🎁
It’s OK to Be Excited about the Knicks
Are the Fast-Starting Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks for Real?
How to Unleash College Football Playoff Chaos
Why the Houston Rockets’ Bold Team-Building Experiment Is Working
Where Have All the NBA’s Little Guys Gone?
Connor McDavid’s Slow Start Shows How Desperately the Oilers Need Him At His Best
James Harden May Need to Be the ‘System’ for Clippers to Succeed
Are the Luka Dončić-Kyrie Irving Dallas Mavericks Figuring It Out?
The San Jose Sharks May Be the Worst Team in Hockey History
Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series’ Championship Race
📈2023 MLB Elo Ratings & Composite Playoff Odds⚾
The Texas Rangers Know Nothing Is Certain Until They Hoist the World Series Trophy
📈Updated NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Rankings🏁
The Detroit Red Wings Are Finally Ready to Rejoin the NHL’s Elite. (Maybe.)
2023 World Series Preview: Texas Rangers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
How the Diamondbacks Stunned the Phillies
Key NBA Storylines for 2023-24 — And Introducing The Messenger’s NBA Forecast Model
Jose Altuve Is a Clutch Postseason Hitting Machine
The Las Vegas Aces Aren’t Just Back-To-Back Champs — They Might Be WNBA GOATs
How Two Days Changed What We Thought We Knew about the MLB Postseason
The Houston Astros Reminded Everyone Why They’re the Reigning Champs
The Phillies Are Playing like the Most Dominant Team in Postseason History
Philadelphia Phillies’ Bats Come Up as Aces in NLCS Opener
Winning the ALCS Opener Made the Texas Rangers World Series Co-Favorites
Evan Carter Has the Texas Rangers Poised to Win the Lone Star State — And Make the World Series
Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 8
The Baltimore Orioles Are Built to Win the World Series — Just Not This Season
Yordan Alvarez Is a Once-in-a-Generation Slugger Who Can No Longer Be Overlooked
Why the Fifth Wheel in the New York Liberty’s Star-Studded Lineup Might Be Its Most Important
C.J. Stroud’s Rookie Year Is Launching with a Bang
MLB Playoffs: The Atlanta Braves Are the World Series Champs — Until They Aren’t
NWSL Playoff Scenarios Are Chaos — And We Have A Chart to Prove It
Forget Travis Kelce: If Taylor Swift Were an NFL Player, She’d Be Tom Brady
How MLB’s New Rules Changed the Game in 2023
2023 Was the Year of Stolen Bases in MLB. Here’s What That Means for the Playoffs.
The Candy Man, The Candy Man, The Candy Man
Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12
Max Verstappen Didn’t Win Last Week. It Made His Season Look Better.
What Would Happen If Men’s Tennis Grand Slams Were Best-of-3?
Handicapping the Final Surge to the MLB Postseason
We call on the Price Chopper corporation to fix their awful mistake
Yes, Aaron Rodgers’ Injury Lowers the New York Jets’ Ceiling. But Exactly How Much?
Did The Celtics' Offseason Moves Improve Them As Contenders?
2023 Is The Year Of The Worst Baseball Teams That Money Can Buy
Everything Is Bigger in Texas. Even the Slumps.
New WNBA Records Are Fun, but They Need Context
Speedy Sweeties and their Darlington Darlings
These 5 Numbers Will Speak Volumes About The 2023 NFL Season
Brain Food: Why Zack Greinke is Having the Worst Season of Any Ex-Cy Young Winner Ever
Ronald Acuña Jr. Is Mr. Baseball For 2023
Playoffs Preview Promises Potentially Portentous Podracing
NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs: What to Watch For
Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge: Who’s MLB’s Most Prodigious Power Hitter?
How the Seattle Mariners Went From Postseason Longshots to World Series Contenders
Georgia Follows The Perilous Path Of Defending Champs With New QBs
José Bautista Was Baseball’s Greatest Late Bloomer
How the Yankees Slid Into the Abyss
Why the Liberty Have Been Beating the Aces Like the Aces Beat the Rest of the WNBA
Matt Olson Launches Himself Into the MVP Race
The New York Liberty's Superteam Blueprint Is Working To Perfection
Luis Arraez Probably Won’t Hit .400... But He Can Still Surpass Ted Williams
The San Diego Padres Are the Unluckiest Team in Baseball
Steve Cohen Said The Probabilistic Part Out Loud
Working our way down the relevancy of nuts and fruit
How Chase Elliott Can Still Make the NASCAR Playoffs
The Las Vegas Aces Are the Greatest Team in WNBA History, Unless…
Where Things Stand as the Dust Settles on MLB’s Trade Deadline
Aaron Judge’s Return Can’t Come Soon Enough for the Yankees
Thanks for all the elevens out there!
Where Did Michael Jordan’s Hornets Tenure Go Wrong?
Trading for Shohei Ohtani Would Put Him on a WAR Path With History
The Top Hitters Who Should Be In Demand at MLB’s Trade Deadline
Pitching Will Be In Demand — And Supply — This MLB Trade Deadline
Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff’s Induction Says More About the Hall of Fame Than It Does About Them
Recapping the current iteration of the That Look Dot Com 300
Will the Rangers, Orioles, Giants And MLB’s Other Surprise Contenders Keep Rolling?
Why the Running Back Market Went From a Gradual Decline to a Total Collapse
The Angels Must Trade Shohei Ohtani
Don’t Blame Hard Knocks If The Jets Disappoint
Will Julio Rodríguez Use His Record-Breaking HR Derby as a Launching Pad?
Let’s Referee an NFL Twitter Beef!
Michelle Wie West Didn’t Become Golf’s Biggest Star. That Doesn’t Make Her A Bust.
Cool things happen when you never know when it's going to end
Elly De La Cruz Is Missing From MLB’s All-Star Week, But He Could Be the Star of the Show
In A Waning Era Of All-Star Games, Baseball’s Midsummer Classic Still Holds Up
Damian Lillard and James Harden Are 5 Years Too Late to Truly Supercharge a Superteam
The Week That Was (June 24-30, 2023)
Two Sports Sickos talkin all about the Underbird
Domingo Germán's Perfect Game Was A Perfect Reminder That Baseball Is Weird As Hell
Erik Karlsson Wants To Play For A Winner. But Can A Winner Use Erik Karlsson?
The Curious Case Of John Collins
Breaking Down The Odds For NASCAR's Playoff-Bubble Drivers
2023's Braves Are Hotter Than The '90s Dynasty Braves Ever Were
The Week That Was (June 17-23, 2023)
This Is One Heckuva Surprising MLB Season
Settling A Michael Jordan Debate
The San Francisco Giants Are Defying Expectations, Again
Handing Out The NASCAR Hardware For 2023 (So Far)
Can The Suns Be Great With Bradley Beal?
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Stat Leaders
The Week That Was (June 10-16, 2023)
Shohei Ohtani Is Having His Best Year Yet. Will It Finally Matter?
The Golden Knights Weren’t Like Other Stanley Cup Winners
Is Michael Harris II Following The Jeff Francoeur Career Path?
Vegas Passed All Of The NHL's Tests
The Royals And A's Are Racing To The Bottom
Denver’s Revenge Of The Regular Season
The Mets Deserve Their Bad Record
I Guest-Wrote Numlock News Today!
The Week That Was (June 3-9, 2023)
Dalvin Cook's Production Wasn't Enough
How Can Chase Elliott Make The Playoffs?
The Panthers Need Their Luck Back
Messi's Miami Move Continues A U.S. Soccer Tradition
Twilight Of The Mets' Pitching Gods
Did Golf Just Avoid The Messiest Divorce In Sports?
Should You Make Nikola Jokić Beat You As A Scorer, Not A Passer?
Is MLB's Balanced Schedule Working?
The Nuggets' Offense Has No Bad Options
Why The Golden Knights — Or Panthers! — Can Win The Stanley Cup
The Rays Are Proving The Randomness Of 1-Run Games
Will Rust Affect The Panthers?
Where Florida vs. Vegas Ranks Among Unexpected Stanley Cup Pairings
What The Celtics And Stars Are Trying To Do Is Special
NASCAR Cup Series Reset: Round 14, Charlotte
What Were MLB Forecasters' Best (And Boldest) Picks?
The Bubba Wallace Hate MUST End
The Florida Panthers Are All About The Weird Sweeps
The Texas Rangers' Experiment Is Working, In Spite Of Itself
Vegas And Florida Made Their Weaknesses Strengths
Kyle Larson Added To His All-Star Race Legend
NASCAR At North Wilkesboro Was Always An All-Star Spectacle
The Phillies Already Need Another Special Run
Who Will Play For The Stanley Cup?
This Final Four Is The Modern NHL's Sun Belt Dream
Cody Bellinger Is Back — Sort Of
The Oilers' Star Power Wasn't Enough
Where Do The Maple Leafs Go From Here?
NASCAR Cup Series Reset: Round 13, Darlington
If You Can’t Beat Ross Chastain... Fight Him?
Round 2 Of The NHL Playoffs Has Provided Goals... But Not Thrills
The Red Sox Doomers Were Wrong
Sergei Bobrovsky's Long, Winding Road Takes Another Turn
NASCAR Cup Series Reset: Round 12, Kansas
Matt Harvey And Baseball's Briefest-Burning Flames
The Cardinals' Customary Consistency Is Crumbling
Fernando Alonso Is Having F1's Greatest Old-Guy Season
Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, And NASCAR's Longest Winless Streaks
Resetting The NHL Playoff Picture
A Powerhouse Like The Bruins Hasn't Lost In Round 1 In 50+ Years
The Panthers Have Cracked The Bruins' Defensive Armor
The Kings Of Restrictor Plate-Racing
What Did — And Didn't — Surprise Me In The NHL's Opening-Round Game 1s
The Cubs' Turnaround Might Already Be Here
The Rays' Winning Streak Is Over — But Their Dominance Is Here To Stay
The Boston Bruins Are Cursed! (Maybe.)
538 Post: Why Each NHL Contender Will — Or Won't — Win The Stanley Cup
The Rays' Hot Start Is Historic
William Byron Is Having One Of NASCAR's Weirdest Seasons
538 Post: How Much Do Early-Season MLB Records Matter?
Was UConn The Most Dominant Men's Champ In Modern History?
Sidney Crosby And Alex Ovechkin Could Both Miss The 2023 NHL Playoffs
538 Post: How LSU Played The Game vs. Iowa That South Carolina Couldn't
What Does Opening Day Tell Us?
What Out Of The Park Baseball 24 Thinks About The '23 Season
538 Post: The Dodgers Are Still World Series Favorites — But They're The Weakest Favorite In Years
NCAA Tournament Prediction Accuracy Update: Revenge Of The Nerds
NASCAR's Best Road-Course Driver Isn't On The Track
Introducing NASCAR Composite Winning Percentage
538 Post: The Best NCAA Tournament Players Whose Teams Are Still Dancing
Japan Stands Alone Atop The WBC
Alexandar Georgiev Saved The Avalanche
Defending WBC Champs (U.S.) Or Elo No. 1 (Japan) — Who Ya Got?
Who Knew Best In NCAA Tournament Round 1?
Is Aaron Rodgers The Jets' Golden Super Bowl Ticket?
Dominican Republic v. Puerto Rico Will Be One Of The Best WBC Matchups Ever
Hendrick Motorsports Has Started Off A Season For The Ages
Who Can Actually Pull Off First-Round NCAA Tournament Upsets?
World Baseball Classic Elo Ratings Update
Making Sense Of The Dallas Stars' 10-Goal Barrage
Kevin Durant's Two Imaginary Juggernauts
Is Ryan Blaney The New Kasey Kahne?
Can Daniel Jones Pull Off An Encore?
538 Post: World Baseball Classic Preview!
Trackhouse Racing Is An Instant Powerhouse
538 Post: The Winners And Losers From MLB’s New Rules
Chase Elliott Is Out With A Broken Leg. Josh Berry Is In. What Now?
Who Won The NHL Trade Deadline?
Will Joey Logano Stay King Of Vegas?
Is Max Verstappen Inevitable Again?
How Mario Lemieux Beat Cancer — And Started A Comeback For The Ages
With Patrick Kane, These Aren't Last Year's Defensive-Minded Rangers
50 For McDavid Was An Overdue Testament To His Growing Greatness
Kyle Busch's 225th Win Was One Of His Finest
Why The Padres Had To Extend Manny Machado
The Anaheim Ducks Are A Defensive Disaster
The Bruins Are So Good They Just Picked Up A Totally Unnecessary Defenseman
Kyle Busch Can Make A Statement At Fontana
Patrick Kane Has Answered A Lot Of Doubters (Me Included!)
Bubba Wallace Is Good, Actually
Bally Sports And The Collapse Of MLB's Cable-TV Economic Era
Are The Red Sox Doomers Wrong?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Is One Of Daytona's Great Underdog Stories
Patrick Kane's Next Team(s) Have A Dilemma
Victor Hedman Isn't Playing Like Victor Hedman Anymore
Gaudreau, Huberdeau, Tkachuk and Friction Costs